It’s the weirdest thing - cardio and legs totally mis-matched.
I could be easily holding a conversation on a group ride but get dropped because I couldn’t turn my legs anymore 
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Thanks for the tag @KickrLin
I sorted out my back pain. Tight hip flexors was the cause. I was prescribed a handful of exercises and stretches. The most impactful was a deep couch stretch. I’d done it in the past but not to the intensity I should have been. Really squeezing the glute and pushing the hips forward while reaching up with a slight twist was NAILING that area. A half dozen reps of that and i’d feel smooth as water. Its become a pretty standard part of just entering my living room at this point.
I did line up for the start, was a few min behind schedule with the gun and was way way way back in the corral and didn’t want to bully my way through the tight areas to get a more appropriate position. The first 3 miles were a jog/walk of getting past people and I got cozy around mile 4. I didn’t really set out to PR or ‘race’ this race, just run the course since its the only time of year you get to run through the areas the course runs.
Ended with a 1:52 having never felt like i really ‘tried’ which was a pretty decent feeling. Since my HM PR is 1:48 I felt 4 minutes short and not feeling dead was a decent level of fitness.
My focus now is to build mileage for a 50k i’m planning to do at the end of February.
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I’ve basically dropped cycling while building for running. I just cant fit all the volume in a week without falling behind in other areas.
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I’m glad you’ve been able to be honest with yourself and make that call. Too many athletes try to push through. You’ve got the right idea though!
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Are there any forums that host intelligent discussion on running like this forum does for cycling?
What I usually do… replace easy runs with longer endurance level rides, seems to work well since USUALLY you recover quickly from easy rides…
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That could/should work. Right now i’m a very firm believer in weekly mileage > basically anything else. My Tuesday and Thursday runs are recovery runs that add 10 miles now and eventually 14 miles a week which will help bring that mileage up a ton. Giving that up would keep me a bit too low.
I’m sure the cycling work would help offset some of that but im personally lacking in the leg strength department vs the cardio department so longer endurance rides (outside of a dedicated cycling block for a long distance event) dont exactly play into what i’m looking for right now…
Now with all of that said. I’m looking to do my first 70.3 next year and i’ll likely bring the bike volume up.
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yeah, volume is king…
you are probably doing it right
but as you age… it will become harder… 
at 45 my body is starting to fall apart… can’t keep the same weekly mileage
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45 and running is amazing. Keep it up. Sounds like you know what your limits are and that just makes it that much more interesting to train within/around.
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Oh… I dont know my limits… My body is a mess… my right knee is falling apart…but i still try to do 25 to 30 weekly miles… not training to race has been good to me. I take time off if I want. Do not put pressure on myself to finish wo if I dont want/dont feel like it. I am having fun just keeping some level of fitness…
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Is it though?
I mean, it works for a lot of successful runners. But it’s unachievable for others.
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Theres a limit to whats feasible of course. At my level i’m talking 30-40mpw with a peak of 50 for a block. I’m certainly not a 70mpw athlete like some of these 2:30 marathoners.
I think volume is king anywhere under 40mpw. If you’re exceeding that, you should be focusing on more intentional sessions for your goal. Would love your take?
It i true, not everybody reacts the same way to volum, but in general, if done right, running volume is king/queen and will always be…
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I wish… I was doing 70-80 and was a 2:59:48 PR…
Have several sub 3:10s tho… so not horrible.
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I started running at the end of June on average three times a week and gradually increased the volume during the first two months. In September I started to increase the pace and do a few sets and I ran my first race in an event with an average pace of 4:30 per km over 3.5km. In training only did a couple hundred meter each time on such a pace. At the end I felt discomfort in the Achilles tendon area, I iced it and took anti-inflammatory ointment that week and the following weekend I did another race with the same distance even faster at 4:20… As a result, I ended up limping and soon realized that ice and anti-inflammatory ointments alone weren’t going to fix it. Two days later I started physiotherapy and it’s been two months without a full recovery. In the medical exam made it shows lots of liquid and a calcification on the achiles.
Throughout this run build phase, I’ve done exercises to strengthen my joints in general and my feet in particular. Even so, this was the result.
Fortunately, the pain in my foot doesn’t stop me from training on the bike and until next summer my schedule is 100% for mountain biking and Traineroad. But after that I’m going to try again with even more strengthening and more gradually increasing the volume and especially the pace.
This was my huge running carrer: 
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You’ve got a pretty good change of walking through any metro area and knowing that every person you pass will never and has never run that distance faster than you. Commendable and definitely the result of hard work.
Any takeaways for a fresher athlete?
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train the correct pace and do not over do it… 
It very easy to try to work harder and gain not much more than training at the actual speed you should…
say, your 400s call for a mile pace… and your mile pace is 5:30, do not try to run it at a 4 minute mile pace… You probably could, but you will not gain much, and probably not be able to hold the pace for many reps…
also, listen to your body… rest, a skipped run doesnt make you or break you…
so many things i could tell my younger self
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You make me laugh. every ‘5k pace’ interval for half mile or K which i’ve done recently is supposed to be ~7/min pace and ends up being low 6’s and i’m absolutely spent after a half dozen… Wise words
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It’s worth listening to the David Roche interview on the Rich Roll podcast. He talks about how he set a new Leadville 100 course record off low milage training.
Personally I’m not convinced by the high milage approach. Seems to be correlated to results by many but then you get to hear about all the injuries!
I ran a 5min mile, 1.17 half and won my age cat in a prestigious 50mile mountain ultra this year off 30mpw. Apart from one track session a week I just ran slowly around local roads and trails.
For 2025 I’m not planning on increasing milage. I am increasing strength work though. I think the ability to run with good form and pain free is the key to my success.
I did do some specific work for the ultra. It involved 4250m of ascent (or more importantly descent), so I went to some mountains and spent 5 days running and mtbing on the slopes 3 weeks before the race. Apart from that I place a lot of value in hiking over the winter. Fun days out in the hills give great strength and fitness I think. Can only manage a few of these a year though so the majority of my training is around my local trails which are undulating at best and often muddy.
I’m 50btw and not prepared to be one of the many runners I see who shuffle along awkwardly, blatantly nursing discomforts. I want to feel fit and healthy. Race results seem to come naturally when you feel like that.
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Yes. But beware, the popular ones are lightly moderated and very toxic.
Not a “forum” but check out Steve Magness’ blog and podcast. He has a book as well that has been well received.
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